A 1965 Tribute to Eadweard Muybridge's Motion Studies

This documentary from the U.S. Department of Defense tells the story of scientific photography, tracing it back to the work of Eadweard Muybridge in the 1870s. It Started With Muybridge, courtesy of the Internet Archive, reveals how the modern techniques of the 1960s, with their applications in defense systems, drew on Muybridge's historic motion studies. Google celebrates the photographer's birthday on April 9 with a special Google Doodle (below). Google's tribute is fitting because another legacy of Muybridge's investigations, we argue on the Atlantic Video channel, is the modern-day cat video.

Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg joined The Atlantic in 2011 to launch its video channel and, in 2013, create its in-house video production department. She leads the development and production of original documentaries, interviews, and other video content for The Atlantic. Previously, she worked as a producer at Al Gore’s Current TV and as a content strategist and documentary producer in San Francisco. She studied filmmaking and digital media at Harvard University.